SOC 2080 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Meat Packing Industry, Corn Flakes, Breakfast Cereal

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2080
• Professor: Anthony Winson

Document Summary

The crisis in farming and emergence and consolidation of the canadian agro- Chapter 6: consolidation of the agro food complex + wiebe chapter [ksw] Pre 1950s: mixed farming, solid farming communities and strong farm organizations. Post 1950s: social differentiation of farms, increasing specialization of ag. , stress on communities => formation of the agro-food complex. Tractorization of agriculture : eliminates physical limits on amt. of land farmed, increases in cost of land, machinery, loss of self reliance and control. Seed revolution: hybridization and gm seeds = end of seed saving: added cost that wasn"t there before. Plant breeders rights legislation: gives corporations exclusive right and patent on seeds. Now illegal to save gm seeds: further loss of control to input industry and increased input costs. Was relatively cheap: chemical fertilizer use up 300% since 1970, only 4-5 fertilizer corporations. Control all the business: pesticide use up almost 600% since 1973, just a few pesticide sellers: bayer/monsanto, syngenta, dow and dupont.